Bathroom drama in Bregenz:

Automatically saved draft

In the course of the operation, a number of rubberneckers also gathered at the scene of the accident.

(Bild: Wasserrettung Vorarlberg)

As reported, a 29-year-old man living in Germany drowned just off the shore of Lake Constance in Bregenz in the early hours of Saturday afternoon. The resuscitation efforts were disrupted by countless rubberneckers.

The rescue chain had actually worked perfectly: Only nine minutes after the alarm was raised, the water rescue divers were able to retrieve the lifeless man from Lake Constance. Previously, his partner and two children had failed in this very endeavor - which was due to the fact that Lake Constance slopes steeply at this point despite being close to the shore, so the drowning man had disappeared from view within a few seconds. After the rescue, the emergency services immediately set about resuscitating the casualty.

Even parents with children among the gawkers
However, the helpers' work was made more difficult by countless gawkers who, without any sensitivity, followed the battle between life and death up close, with some even capturing the tragic moments on their cell phones. Particularly shocking: many young children were also among the onlookers - and their parents were standing next to them.

When there are so many onlookers on site, it is of course extremely distracting and very stressful for the emergency services.

Manuel Winkel, Einsatzleiter der Wasserrettung

Manuel Winkel, who was in charge of the water rescue operation, has absolutely no sympathy for this kind of behavior: "When there are so many onlookers on site, it is of course extremely distracting and very stressful for the emergency services. You're supposed to concentrate, you need space - and instead there are people everywhere," he told ORF Vorarlberg.

The rescuers ultimately tried to resuscitate the 29-year-old until he was taken to the nearby Bregenz regional hospital - but the man could only be pronounced dead there.